Kayaking Journal

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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Fond du Lac has been a place where I have explored many new locations to kayak and and enjoy the outdoors. With the help of my little map on google, I noticed a couple of rivers to trek up but when I accidentally zoomed in further, I noticed this fine line of water. It’s called Taycheedah Creek.Beautiful little creek especially right after spring. It’s a narrow creek about 12 feet wide. It was enough space for me to turn my 9.5 feet kayak around to go back for pictures. It’s also very shallow, about 1-3 feet deep. The dimensions are not the reason why I have written about this creek though. The reason why I focused on this site was because of the simple fact that not too many people know about it nor pay any attention to it as a possible place to kayak. I was shocked when I asked a kayaking friend of mine if they have ever been in the back water and they just looked at me. “You know, Taycheedah Creek?” I got nothing but a deer in the headlight look from them.

See something jumping out of the water?

This little spot of water holds a “Hall of Nature” feel to me. After I came in the west side of the creek I had a view from the water that looked like looking down a hall to a very large mansion. This hall held some beautiful images of nature than couldn't be held in a frame. During the full trek, there is one place where a kayak might get hung up for a little bit, where the two creeks intersect, but nothing a little scooting couldn't handle. I highly recommend exploring the creek that intersects with Taycheedah Creek if for nothing else, just to see the different area and experience the little babbling brook at the end of it. Just make sure your kayak is small enough to turn around, otherwise you will be paddling backwards instead.The Taycheedah Creek is an amazing little backwater to paddle down. You can witness wildlife such as deer, ducks, cranes and much more in this little place that is right on the southern side of Lake Winnebago. I highly encourage any novice to come down and get your feet wet in this little area.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Elkhart Lake, the "Hidden Gem." That is what a friend of mine told me when I asked about it. She talked it up as being that town in Wisconsin that not a lot of people know of and is a special place. Well Saturday, June 9th, I went to the lake with a friend and it started off to be a lake just like all other lakes I have been to.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

I went out on the water after lunch and slowly made my way up the East side of the Fond du Lac river. The water was absolutely perfect and the best part was that the weather progressively got warmer but not to warm. One thing I noticed while I was paddling, is that it really helps to have a nice rhythm. In life, rhythm can be essential to many things so why is paddling anything different. Establishing a pace is just like jogging or working out on an exercise machine. If you don't follow a rhythm it can actually make your workout or trek rather painful.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Winter is upon us so what can we do to prepare for the kayaking season next year?
1) Make the rounds at the gym to work on your endurance and stamina.
2) Keep the healthy habits of stretching before paddling and just stretch to stay limber.
3) Maintain the healthy diet you have been to keep your energy levels up.
4) Keep an eye out for great deals for kayaking equipment.

Monday, November 7, 2011

When kayaking, you can't carry everything that you would really want. Sure, you can bring a life jacket and some warm or cool clothes, depending on the weather. You can bring some little devices and some food for a long or even short trip....but you can't bring everything so you have to improvise with the tools you already have.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Children grow up so quickly so I had to upgrade my kid's life jackets to something a little bit bigger. I went to FleetFarm and they still have a good selection of life jackets so I was able to find some that fit. I tried to find some that match so they were wearing the same color, but beggars can't be choosers.

It's very important to wear a jacket when kayaking, canoeing or doing any kind of boating. You never know what might happen, that a jacket might save your life. Whenever I tell my parents about my various trips, they always have to get that parental comment in of, "Did you wear a life jacket?" My comment back, as juvenile as it may be, is "No ma, I actually floated the entire trip upside down and smacking my head on every rock possible." She knows my sarcasm very well and would respond with, "Good to hear, I love you, you know that."